EVALUATING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND THE IMPACT OF FUNDING DIVERSITY DURING COVID-19: KOSOVO EVIDENCE

This paper aims to examine the barriers and challenges faced by businesses in Kosovo in terms of access to SMEs funding sources during the pandemic, as well as their impact on the business evaluation of SMEs. Given that more than 99 percent of businesses in Kosovo are SMEs, which are considered essential for economic development, they also contribute to job creation. This study employs a quantitative approach, with reported data provided directly by SMEs via questionnaires. The empirical approach used in the study is ordered logit regression to measure the effect of credit lending, business plan, own investment, donations, and borrowings from family or friends on business evaluation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Empirical results show that credit lending and business plans have a significant positive impact on business evaluation, whereas borrowings from family or friends and donations have a significant negative impact. Despite the study’s limitations, we are convinced that it should spark a debate between researchers, academics, and policymakers. The study contains the original value and contribution in the empirical aspect, which is designed on the data provided for Kosovo to evaluate the association between SMEs and the use of funding sources during the Covid-19 pandemic.